Soccer Dad
by SaRan1999
Summary: Karol couldn't believe it. He kept replaying that last kick, that last goal, that final loss in his brain. Millisecond by millisecond, over and over, just barely missing the ball. Just barely failing to keep it from reaching its destination, the other team's goal. Modern Au. In which Karol plays soccer and his team loses the championship. Luckily his dad Raven is there.


Karol couldn't believe it.

He kept replaying that last kick, that last goal, that final loss in his brain.

Millisecond by millisecond, over and over, just barely missing the ball.

Just barely failing to keep it from reaching its destination, the other team's goal.

Just barely sliding through the air past his foot, and losing the championship for his team.

Just barely…

* * *

It happens in a split second.

One moment his kid is running after the red-headed girl from the other team in a desperate chase to stop her from scoring, the next a rush of noise and celebration, but by the wrong team.

He's swamped in the cheers and groans of the parents around him, the sounds of winners and losers coalescing and enveloping the field.

All he sees is Karol though, standing alone on the wide grassy field vacantly while the rest of his team congregate to give each other consoling pats.

He needs to be there, now.

One second he's surrounded by both cheers and groans from his seat in the parent's bleachers, the next it's just him and Karol on the now silent field.

"Karol, I..." he starts, but words quickly run out.

Still, still, he stands there, quiet and lost and staring at nothing and Raven has to remind himself to unclench his teeth as he rushes in for a clumsy hug.

Seconds stack on top of each other, each one adding another ton to the air. Its both too long and not long enough before the quiet sniffles tear through the silence; the sound punches the air from his lungs.

Slowly Karol starts moving, small hands gradually wrapping around raven's waist, gripping tight and shoving his face into Raven's oversized jacket and muffling his growing whimpers.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," he says, cradling Karol's head against his chest.

An eternity of seconds pass before Karol finally speaks. "-so close..." he says, voice muffled by ravens now damp shirt and jacket. "I was so close..."

"I know, Karol..."

"I was so close, Raven…! I've trained so much, tried so hard but-! If I'd just been a bit faster I could have-" he says, quivering beneath ravens fingers and sobs fragmenting words.

"Nonono, Karol. You did great-"

Hug turned to shove and warmth was replaced with cold as Karol glared at him, tears spilling down his face.

"You don't get it, Raven!" he says, the scream echoing against distant goals. "This was the championship game, the one the entire team has been working so hard for!" Karol gulps down breaths, choking on his sobs with white-knuckled hands gripping his hair. "You-you don't get it... I've lost it all- all our hard work wasted-"

"Hey! Hey, look at me." he starts, first sharp then gently urging Karol's watery eyes towards him with a soft finger. "Soccer is a team sport, right? Right, Karol?"

"I mean yeah but what's that have to do with anything?!" he says, tearing his face away and glaring at the ground. "I'm the one who didn't stop that goal-"

"None of your teammates could stop that ball, Karol.." His voice is tight, trembling despite his efforts to stay calm. "You're a team, Karol...you win and you lose together."

"I-I just-" He's stammering, tripping over his words, fighting to say something, his eyes wide and flitting everywhere but focusing on nothing while his chest pumps painful breaths.

Shit _shit __**shit**_.

Raven forcefully swallows down his panic.

He's had enough personal experience to know what Karol is going through. It's never fun, but luckily or not it's taught him how to manage it. He'll have to move fast.

"Hey, Karol," he starts, softly and soothingly and after a few repeats, his son's eyes stop flickering around and lock on his own set. "There ya are. I know it feels like you're dying right now but we'll get you through this, ok? Nod if you understand, alright?"

It takes a few seconds of choked gasping but finally, thankfully, Karol bobbles his head a few times.

"That's good, that's great!" Despite it all, he can't help a ghost of a smile. "You're doing amazingly. Ok now try to slowly breathe in and out with me, ok?"

Another nod, thank god.

"Alright breathe in…."

"Out..."

"In..."

"Out..."

Slowly but surely Karol's frantic choked gulps of air slow to the occasional hiccupped sob and sniffle.

"You feel better?"

He numbingly nods and scrubs his face with his sleeve, loudly sniffing his boogers back up. "Y-yeah.."

Raven relaxes his shoulders he'd unknowingly tensed and releases a sigh he didn't know he was holding. "That's good," he says, squatting down to Karol's eye level and extending some tissues he'd fished out of his pocket.

"It's just...we all tried so hard! We all practiced so much so that we all could win and it all just feels so worthless," he says, stomping his frustration into the ground.

"I know, Karol. I really do."

Raven is quiet for a second, and then hums to himself, and finally speaks. "Alright, can I drop some Raven grade wisdom on you, Karol? You're gonna have to listen till the end if you're ok with it, just warning ya."

He nods, sniffing his nose.

"Awesome," he says in a tone that means quite the opposite and claps his hands in punctuation before rubbing them together in nervous anticipation. "Karol, there isn't any easy way to say this, really, but life is hard. Sometimes you can work for hours and hours till your hands are tired and your back is sore and you still won't always be able to get what you want. But! That doesn't mean you should give up. Think about all the kids your team beat to make it to the finals. They've suffered losses too, but most of them will continue trying, and as long as you keep on trying, you'll still have a chance. Does that make sense?"

"I-yeah but-"

"Additionally!" he says, raising a finger, "Your team made it to the championship! Y'all are awesome! You've already proven that you're able to make it this far, so what's a little more? Use what you've learned here, and train appropriately!"

"I-" started Karol, stopped and thought for a few seconds while idly kicking at the ground, before continuing. "Ok...but you have to promise to train with me. Also, what about that girl? I think her name is naan.."

"You got it! Also, that girl who made the last goal? Remember what you can about her habits, and react accordingly. You will make a lot of mistakes in life, and that's a fact, but as long as you learn and grow from them, you'll be ok. Also, you have me, Raven the Great!" he says, swinging his arms open like tadah!

Karol chuckles quietly before rushing quickly into Raven's exposed belly for a hug, not-so-gently squeezing the air out of his dad out of love.

Raven softly hugs his son, idly combing his fingers through his hair and smiling at him. "You'll always have me, Karol."

"Thanks, dad..." he says, pulling away and rubbing his eyes and trying in vain to stifle a yawn.

"Heh, you think you can stay awake for ice cream, kiddo? It's tradition, ya know."

Karol's eyes lit up at the word "ice cream".

* * *

…

Explosions, screams, gunfire, all around him, engulfing him.

Blood, blood, far too much blood and water (tears?) dripping down, swirling together, too much, too much, too much lost…

Raven's eyes snap open, his body clammy and shivering, and slowly, like a glacier grating across ice and stone, places his face in his hands and sighs.

A nightmare…

One born of years past, imprinted in his mind. A mental stain that tattoos his brain. How long will he-

"DAAAAAAD!"

He hears rhythmic thumping as Karol runs up the stairs and a loud SLAM as the door swings open and dimly Raven pictures the door handle punching a circle in the drywall.

"DAAAAD!" Karol screams, running and leaping onto his bed, and jumping on his stomach. Raven's quiet grunt is drowned out by Karol. "Come on dad it's time to practice! Get UP, sleepyhead! It's already 10:30! You promised you would practice with meee, come ooooonnn! I made breakfast!"

Raven chuckles as he's dragged into the morning light.


End file.
